Waterlooville baker and loving granddaughter sells hundreds of cakes for Alzheimer's Society

Each year, keen cake creator Charlotte Belcher – known as Charley – puts on a bake sale for Alzheimer’s Society and joins in with the Memory Walk on Southsea Common to raise money and awareness - because two of her grandparents have been affected by the disease.

However, with her usual means of fundraising being cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions, 21-year-old Charley decided to bake up a storm for friends and family and managed to raise £725.

Over the space of a couple of weeks, she baked 19 trays of brownies, 126 muffins, 66 cookies, 12 lemon drizzle cakes and used more than 150 eggs for her creations.

Charley, who posted a menu of her classic bakes online for friends to make orders, said: ‘I have been doing a lot more baking recently so I thought about doing something like this.

‘It was unbelievable, I think I had about eight or nine orders from one day. I can’t believe how many people wanted to order.

‘I’m definitely going to do it again next year because it has raised so much.’

This cause is particularly close to Charley as one of her grandfathers passed away two years ago after living with Alzheimer’s, and her maternal grandad Cyril Clark has dementia.

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Charley said: ‘I’m really close to him and you can see how he is slowly getting worse day by day. Where I work I see a lot of elderly people - it impacts so many people.’

She added: ‘I want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has supported me, from sharing my post on Facebook to buying raffle tickets and cakes - it has been overwhelming and means so much to me!’

Proud nan Carole Clark described Charley’s latest fundraiser as an amazing achievement.

Carole said: ‘She’s one of the most kind and lovely people you should wish to meet. I know she’s my granddaughter but she looks after us so well.’

Visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Charlotte-Belcher1 to boost Charley’s fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society.

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